Shaw women upset Winston-Salem State to advance to semis
Elizabeth City State rolls past Bowie State
Winston-Salem State guard Amaya Tucker was named the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association women’s basketball player of the year, but it was Shaw’s Brittiney Seymour who was the most dominant player on the court in Thursday’s matchup.
Seymour scored 24 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to lead the No. 6 Lady Bears past the third-seeded Rams, 54-48, in the quarterfinals of the CIAA Tournament at CFG Bank Arena.
Shaw (17-13), of Raleigh, North Carolina, will play defending CIAA champion Lincoln in the semifinals at 8 p.m. on Friday.
“Every game that we play, we know we’re an inside-out team,” Seymour said. “Our goal is to finish and put our team in the best position within the rebounding. We do what we have to do to put ourselves in a great position to win.”
Tanayja London finished with 13 points and Mackenzie Pollard (Western) played 28 minutes and tallied four points and three assists for Shaw.
Tucker was the best 3-point shooter in the CIAA this season, making 40.5%. However, the Shaw defenders were quick to get out to the perimeter to prevent her from getting open looks at the basket. Tucker finished with seven points, nine rebounds and four assists.
“Heavy is the head that wears the crown and she’s the CIAA player of the year,” Shaw coach Jacques Curtis said. “We did a good job in the regular season on her and held her to six points. Today, that was the focus because she’s a big-time player.”
Alondra Jordan hit back-to-back 3-pointers and Shaw outscored Winston-Salem 16-4 in the third quarter to take a 39-36 lead.
Seymour scored six points, Pollard made a layup and the Lady Bears led 49-47 with 2:03 remaining in the game.
A free throw by Taniah Wilkins pulled Winston-Salem State (15-10) to within two with 48 seconds left, but the Rams had a critical turnover on the next possession, forcing them to foul.
Seymour put the game away with a pair of free throws.
“I’m taking full responsibility for this game,” Winston-Salem State coach L’Tona Lamonte said. “I thought I had my team prepared but I didn’t trust myself through certain parts of the game. I do feel like I caused that loss, I’m very upset with myself.”
No. 6 Shaw 54,
No. 3 Winston-Salem State 48 SU — Seymour 24, London 13, Jordan 6, Pollard 4, James 4, Hairston 3.
WSSU — Carroll 16, Simmons 9, Tucker 7, Wilkins 5, Jones 5, Balser 4, Mack 2.
Halftime. 23-22, SU.
Elizabeth City State reaches semifinals
NyAsia Blango looked up at the scoreboard and then hit a jumper as time expired in the third quarter Thursday to keep Elizabeth City State women’s basketball rolling.
Blanngo had another impressive performance and the Vikings emerged as a dark horse to win the CIAA Tournament.
The junior guard recorded 30 points and three steals and fifthseeded Elizabeth City State rolled to a 76-54 victory over No. 4 Bowie State in the quarterfinals at CFG Bank Arena.
“Everywhere was energy,” Blango said. “Every sub, every rebound, every loose ball was going our way. I’m just proud of everybody’s effort today. Hopefully, we can repeat that going into the next couple of games.”
The Vikings play upstart No. 8 Johnson C. Smith in the semifinals at 2 p.m. on Friday.
The Golden Bulls knocked out No. 1 Fayetteville State, 62-54, in the quarterfinals.
Bowie State sophomore guard Anii Harris (Howard) averaged 14.7 points during the regular season, sixth-best in the conference, and scored in double figures in 20 of her 25 games. She finished with 12 points and five rebounds against Elizabeth City State.
The Vikings (18-10) beat No. 12 Saint Augustine’s, 59-55, in the opening round, outscoring the Falcons 6-1 in the final 50 seconds. Blango led the offensive effort with 21 points, four assists and three rebounds.
This time, Elizabeth City State got off to a quick start against Bowie State (14-12) and controlled the game from the opening tip. Blango was once again the go-to player, scoring 13 points to carry the Vikings to a 38-27 lead at the break.
“I am just excited about the way our team played defensively,” Elizabeth City State coach Tynesha Lewis said. “They executed our game plan. They came out and played hard. These guys just really play well together, pass the ball, share the ball, and this is why we’re here.”
Elizabeth City State shot 51.7% (15 of 29) in the first half, including 6 of 11 from 3-point range. The game did not get better for Bowie State in the second half. A free throw by Jada Nowlin and a layup by Blango boosted the Vikings’ lead to 49-27 with 6:24 left in the third quarter.
Bowie State was just 18 of 50 from the field and was outrebounded 39-25. Seanice Lyons had 17 points for the Bulldogs.
“Today was disappointing,” Lyons said. “It makes me just want to get back and get better and not let this happen again.”
No. 5 Elizabeth City State 76,
No. 4 Bowie State 54
ECSU — Blango 30, Adams 4, Armfield 6, King 5, Nowlin 9, Pitts 6, Hashim 3, Lockamy 2, Kinney 2, Banks 5, Pickens 2, Sherrill 2.
BSU — Lyons 17, Harris 12, Howard 8, Jackson 5, Irvin 5, Myers 4, Turner 3. Halftime. 38-27, ECSU.